Method of producing piling



Dec. 10, 1946.

C. WEBER METHOD OF PRODUCING FILING Eiled March 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheetl IN VEN TOR. CZZI'Z 71 1 31962 Dec; 10, 1946. c, WEBER 2,412,239

METHOD OF PRODUCING PILING Filed March 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

/ GarZ Weber 5/ I BY ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 1%, 1946 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Carl Weber, New York, N. Y. I

Application March 15, 1945, Serial No. 582,913

Claims.

This invention comprehends a method of producing piling employed forvarious purposes such as for the support of buildings, bridges, piersand the like, the invention being particularly directed to what may betermed built-inplace piles of concrete or any equivalent composition.The invention primarily aims to facilitate the production of piles ofthis character of improved quality, at lower cost than heretofore and toprovide the same with reinforced steel bars, rails or structural shapesof any.form in order to resistbending and. tensional stresses wherevernecessary, the method employed offering numerous other technical andcommercial advantages, namely, that the piles may'be built without theuse of cumbersome pile driving equipment with the result that thejarring, shaking and other ground disturbing influences caused by thecustomary pile ramming operations as well as the noise incident thereto,are entirely eliminated. The method further admits of the production ofpiles in very restricted working places, such as inside of existingbuildings and under many conditions where the installation of othertypes of piling is impossible, while permitting their production at anydesired degree of inclination from the vertical to the horizontalposition and practically without limit as to form, size or depth of thepiling below ground or to their extension above ground or water levels.

The present method accomplishes the foregoing and other results by theinjection of concrete, under compressed air or other gaseous fluidpressure, into protected pile wells which are produced as needed andmaintained in the ground under constant gaseous fluid pressure until theconcrete is emplaced therein so that deformation of the pile receivingand forming well is rendered impossible by settling, shifting orcollapse of the ground surrounding or in the immediate region of thewell.

With the above recited and other objectives in view, the invention isset forth in greater detail in the following specification, particularlypointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a pile forming wellimmediately after the reception pipe and reinforcing means have beenemplaced.

Fig.2 is a similar view illustrating the method of emplacing theconcrete and forming the pile as the pipe assemblage is being raised.

. Fig. 3 is a view on a reduced scale illustrating 2 a completedbuilt-in-place pile located in the ground well.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken approximately on theline 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a collective perspective view of one of the mating clampingsections for the gasket and the angulated lug in juxtaposition thereto.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the three-way valvemounted on the pressure head.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modification of the form .ofcutting shoe which may be employed with the method.

The method of producing the built-in-place piling is carried out in thefollowing manner and consists in initially forming in the ground such asthe bed of a river or any other place a well A which eventuallyfunctions as a form within which concrete or an equivalent plasticcomposition is moulded to provide thebuilt-inplace pile. In practice, itis essential to employ suitable means for restraining or holding backthe wall of the well while the concrete is being emplaced in addition toproviding means for conveying the concrete to the bottom of the well anddepositing the same progressively upward from the bottom to the top ofthe same until the well is completely filled. Such means is hereinillustrated as a tubular reception pipe B which is of the requireddiameter and preferably, as shown, made up of comparatively shortsections or lengths I!) joined together by coupling sleeves I l whichare added to the upper end as the sinking of the Well A progresses.

In view of the fact that the reception pipe B is only temporarilyemplaced in the well A and is subsequently withdrawn therefrom forreuse, that in order to minimize the surface friction both during thesinking of the well and the ultimate withdrawal of the pipe B, the sameis preferably somewhat smaller in diameter than the cross-sectional sizeof the well A. In addition to its other functions, the pipe B may alsobe employed as means for facilitating the excavation and removal of theexcavated material by any of the well known methods, such as byhydraulic jetting or other well digging equipment, not shown.

A cuttin shoe C is secured to'the lower end of the lower section ID ofthe reception pipe B, said shoe having the inner periphery correspondingin size and shape to the inner periphery of said pipe while the 'outerperiphery may be of the well an'd'said tapered ortion [4 also functionsto restore said well to its original profile or crosssection whereverthe same may have temporarily assumed a distorted form due to caving ofthe. ,s

earthen walis or deformation due to groundpressure.

After the well A has been sunk to the desired depth with the reception,pipe Bin place, as shown in Fig. 1, reinforcin means D are emplaced inthe well within the "confines of the reception pipe to later serve asmeans for resistingbending or 'tension'al stresses, "it being"understood that said reinforcing fineansare *so located as to provide afree passagewayextending-longitudinally of and within the receptionpipe.

A pressure head assembly E'is then secured to the uppermost "end ofthereception pipe to close and "sealth'e'same 'and saidassemblyeons'ists'of abase'plate 15 which is bolted totheoutwardly"proje'ctingnrarginal flange Mini 9, collar l1 threadedlyengaged over the upper "end of the uppermost'sectiondll of thejreceptionpipe B with a suitable sealing V gasket {8 "interposed between theflange'andplate. The 'basr'erplate is formed'with a central'opening t9,acontrol open ingfit normally closed by a closureplugill and with'apressure inlet 'port'22. Aconduit pipe F is inserted'through the'central'opening l 9 which is .large enough to "also permit of "thepassage therethrough of couplingfsleeves 25 "which connecttogetherthe'sections 26 making upthe con- V duit :pipe F, the lower "end crwmchis extended downwardly "through the reception 'jpipe until it is locatedwithin the shoe'adjacentt'o the icutting edge13; Afterthe conduit *pipeFhas'thus been 'emplaced, a V gasket 21 is arrangedin covering relation'to' the central opening 'I9iand in surrounding rel'ation to theadjacent protruding portion Tof 'the conduit pipe and said gasket isclamped in place to s'ea'ljth'e pipe 'Within the centraljop'ening 'bymeans f mating clamping sections 28 which a'r'e'urged downwardlyandint'o surrounding'relation'with'thegasket21 by screws ZQthreadedthrough-angulatedlugs 30 anchored to the upper surface of'the base plate15. A'-T shaped fitting 3! is then secured to the upper end offthe"protruding "portion of the uppermost section26 "of the conduitp'ipe Fand a concreteinjector pipe '32 is attachedtoone'branch of saidT-shaped"fitting, while "an outlet pipe "33 is attachedto "the remainingbranch of said fitting, shut l'off valves "34 and .35 being located inthe concrete. injector and outlet pipes respectively, to open and closethe same.

'A pressure ipipe'36, connected to a source of compressed air, steam orany other equivalent gaseous fluid .underpressure, is attached to theinlet" port 3 1 'of a 'three way valve "33, another port 39 of whichextends downwardly and communicates withthe interior of thereceptionpipe B"through"thejinlet port 22 in the base plate 15,whiletheremain'ing exhaust port '40 of said threeway"valve"38extends'upwardly and opens to the atmosphere. "Apressure gaugedl"is"mounted on 4 the base [5 and communicates with the interior of thereception pipe B to indicate to the operator the pressure therein,

In carrying the method forward, after the pressure head assembly E hasbeen attached and the conduit pipe F has been emplaced, any ground Waterwithin the well may be forced from the well A by opening the outletvalve 35 in the outlet pipe 33 and then turning the three-way valve 38.so that the working pressure is admitted to the reception pipe Bthereby causing the water to be forced upwardly through the conduit pipe-E'and thence through the outlet pipe 33. When and the :ground water hasbeen completely dis-' charged from the well, the outlet valve 35 isclosed and'the pressure will then function to prevent g any water fromseeping into the Well.

The entire pipe assemblage and pressure head Eis then raised so that theshoe C is above the bottom of the well, the valve 34 opened to admitconcrete -to theconduit pipe F through which it is injected intothebottom 'of the dried well'lunfder pressure and "rises ---witliin thefrec'eption :p'ipe B. When the concrete reaches a'sufficien't' height in-the said reception pipe so that it -complte'ly seals'the bottom of the-wel1; theworking pressure is increased above normal to force theconcrete laterally -or radially outwardly to forma "blflblike-footing orenlargement K at the base pit-he pile L. The-pressurefis now reduced tothe required normal injection pressure -an'd the injectionof-the-concrete continues in stages; until the pile L is completed, thereception pipe and conduit pipe sections beingperiodic-ally disconnectcdand salvaged as the work progresses. It -isap-j parent-that due to the-smaller cross-sectional size of the pipe B With reference fto 'that 'ofthe Well A; the frictional resistance therebetween is mate; riallyreduced so that the working pressure Within the reception pipefunction's to aid the li'fting force employed for raising the pipeassemblage; 'As -previouslystat'edrthe form-Of-the cutting shoeCfunctions to'restore the pile well A to its origin'al cross-sectionWherever the'wll may "have temp'orarily 'assumed a distorted form as aresult-of caving in of the earthen j-walls -or deformation from anyother reason. r Y

The working gpres'sure impinged on *top of the concrete within-jthereception pipe Bfo'rcessai'd concrete into the well below-the cuttingshoeC sii'nultaneously with the "raising of 'the same the concretefilling the well completely under the full 'working pressure so that itis forced hard stantially reduced, "resistance are "encountered,

which will be known in advance by the operator who is furnished with"achart prepared from samples as thewell Ais'sunkfthe Wofkingipressure'inay be reduced toi'avoid unduespreadingiof the pileand'thewaste-6f concrete.

The withdrawal or the ,pipe assemblyis accdm'i pli'shed by theupli'fting'power of the working pressure within the reception pipe B,which ob viouslyexerts the same force in"'both'the upward and downwarddirections, the speed of withdrawal beinglregulated byiadjustment.ofthe. working pressure and bfballlastifig 0r jadliillg Of the Teceptionpipe, as needed. As heretoforeindicated; the pressure injectioniof -theconcrete into the wellis performed iii-stages or periodic lifts, itbein; understoodthat whenever the concrete fillifl'g within the well hasreached a sufficient height to exposeon'e or more of the sections of thereception pipe B, the injection conduit pipe is closed off from theconcrete supply pipe 32by closing the valve 34. The workingpressurevalve 38 is then adjusted to cut off the working pressure and topermit of the exhaust of the working pressure-from the interior of thereception pipeB and after detachingthe pressure head assembly E, theuppermost sections the pipes B and F, which extend above the ground,are'removed, the pressure head assembly replaced on' the remaininguppermost section and the work continued as before explained.

As the building of the pile L approaches its final stages, the plug 2|of the control Opening 20 is removed, after venting the workingpressure, so as to ascertain the level of the concrete and todiscontinue the injection at the exact height so that later costlyadjustments are obviated, such as the trimming down or upbuilding of thepile to the specified level.

When the concreting work of the pile has been completed, the entireconstruction equipment is withdrawn and is available for further use informing other piles, thereby representing a great saving of cost ascompared with other methods which provide metal forms or casing whichremain in the ground. It will thus be apparent that the present methoddispenses with the use of the customary cumbersome and heavy, piledriving rams, avoids the shocks, jars and noise incident thereto and thedisturbing of the surrounding ground strata, which is of especialimportance where additional supports are being provided for sinking orruptured structures where such vibrations or disburbances must beavoided. There is no limit to the length, the cross-sectional form anddimensions or to the type and amount of reinforcement that may bedesired for the construction of the piling produced under this method,so that it is possible to provide one single large pile instead of alarge cluster of common piling often required for the support of heavystructural units.

In the modified form of cutting shoe C, shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings,the same is intended for use only in the production of cylindrical pileswhich permit of the rotation of the shoe C during the sinking of thewell. In this instance, the cutting edge of the shoe is provided withteeth or serrations 56 which may be formed directly on the shoe or onone or more plates secured to the shoe or provided in any equivalentmanner.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of producing built-in-place concrete piling which consistsin forcing the enlarged lower end of a reception pipe into the ground tothe desired depth to form a well of greater crosssectional size thanthat of the major diameter of said reception pipe, closing the upper endof the reception pipe and sealing in extending relation through saidclosed upper end a concrete injection conduit having its lower enddisposed adjacent the enlarged lower end of the reception pipe,introducing a gaseous fluid under pressure within the upper end of thereception pipe exteriorly of the conduit and after discharging theground water in the well upwardly through the conduit by said gaseousfluid pressure, simultaneously raising the pipe and conduit insuccessive stages while at the same time displacing theconcrete from thepipe and conduit under the gaseous fluid pressure to forcibly impact theconcrete in the well to fill the same and ,producethebuilt-inplacepiling. I

2. In a methoda's set forth in claim 1, wherein after the reception pipeis initially raised from its lowermostposition, the pressure ofthe'gaseous fluid is temporarily increased to form a radial enlargementat the lower end of the well to provide a bulb-like footing at the baseof the pilin when filled with concrete.

.3;..A method of producing built-in-place concrete-piles consisting ininitially forcing into the ground a tubularreception pipe having at itslower end a cutting shoe the outer periphery of which is of greater sizethan the outerxperiphery of the reception pipe and excavating andremoving therethrough .the material encompassed thereby to form a wellof somewhat greater crosssectional size than the reception pipe, closingthe upper end of the reception pipe to render the same fluid tight,extending through said closed upper end in sealed relation thereto aconduit pipe having the lower end thereof disposed adjacent to thecutting shoe, introducing a gaseous fluid under pressure into the upperend of the reception pipe exteriorly of the conduit pipe, then injectingconcrete through the conduit pipe while maintaining the gaseous fluidpressure and simultaneously raising said pipes in successive stages toforcibly emplace the concrete in the well to fill the same and thus formthe built-inplace pile.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the ground water within thewell is displaced through the conduit pipe by the gaseous fluid pressureprior to the injection of the concrete. I

5. A method of forming built-in-place concrete piles consisting ininitially sinking a tubular reception pipe into the ground andexcavating and removing therethrough the solid matter encompassed by thereception pipe to form a well,

closing the upper end of the reception pipe to render the same fluidtight, extending a conduit through the closed upper end of the receptionpipe in sealed relation thereto with the lower end of the conduitterminating adjacent the bottom of the well, introducing a gaseous fluidunder pressure into the upper end of the reception pipe exteriorly ofthe conduit and forcing by said pressure the ground water upwardlythrough the conduit and discharging the same therefrom, injectingconcrete through the conduit while maintaining the gaseous fluidpressure within the reception pipe, and then simultaneously raising thereception pipe and conduit in stages while continuing to inject theconcrete and to maintain the gaseous fluid pressure so as to dischargethe concrete into the well from the lower to the upper end thereof toform the built-in-place pile.

6. In a method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the gaseous fluidpressure is varied to compensate for variations in the resistance anddensity of the ground strata through which the well extends.

'7. A method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the reception pipe andconduit are made up of coupled sections and which are added as thesinking of the well progresses and which are removed as they are raisedduring the building of the pile,

8. A method as set forth in claim 5, in which the gaseous fluid pressureis utilized in effecting the raising of the reception pipe during theformation of the pile within the well.

amazes :9. A'methodnf forming builteineplace concrete 1 pileswhich-includes the steps of initially :forcin'g into thevaground altliblllar :shoe attached to the lower .end of a reception pipe oflesser crosssectional size than the shoe to forma well of greatercrossesectional :size (than the reception pipe, removing through saidreception pipe :the solid material encompassed thereby, closing theupper end .of the reception pipe .to render the samet'fiuid tight,extending a conduit through the closed upper end of the reception'pipein sealed relation thereto with thelower end of theconduit disposedadjacent the :lower end of :theshoe, introducing :a gaseous .flui'dunder pressure :tov the upper end of the reception pipe :outside of :theconduit and initially forcing the ground water in the well upwardlytthrough the conduit and ;discharging the .same therefrom by "saidpressure, increasing the ipressure and raising the shoe :to-

form zthe built-in-placejpile, therein.

10. i-Aimethodas set forth in claim -9,'in1which the upper end portionof theshoe is taperedin- .wardly and upwardlyiandtfunctions torestore toits original cross-sectional size and shape any distorted portions -.ofthe wall of the well :as the 'receptionipipe is raised during-thebuildingpof .the V pile. V

CARL

